Chaos Soldier Ranma: Parallels
by Sargon Dorsai
Summary: A young Ranma Saotome, fresh out of the Nekoken training, is recruited by a galactic military. What happens when he returns to the world of Ranma as if he'd never left? How will the Nerima group, including the original Ranma, handle the military version?
1. Chapter 1

Sometime in the past

Earth Parallel

The sound of smashed foliage and breaking branches echoed through the forest as an overweight Japanese man in a dirty white martial arts gi ran at near breakneck speeds, ignoring everything that tried to slow him down. Leaves were tangled in what remained of his hair, a large bandana covering the baldness that had developed. The front of his outfit bore a trio of slashes across the chest, adorning in an edging of blood from the wounds beneath. Sweat glistened on his brow as he dodged quickly to the side, narrowly avoiding a slash from the person trailing behind him.

Skidding to a stop, the martial arts master, known as Genma Saotome, turned to regard his pursuer. No more than a boy, the young man crotched on all four limbs, back arched in a display of anger more commonly associated with those of a feline nature. The sound that escaped past his lips wasn't human, a low growl that came out as more of a hiss than anything natural to the human tongue.

Genma regarded the boy for a moment before pushing up the pair of glasses ever present upon his face. A scowl adorned that same face as he looked at the boy. "Now Ranma! Stop trying to kill your father. Oh why have the Gods cursed me with such a disrespectful son?"

Genma never got the chance to search for an answer to his supplication as Ranma took that moment to charge forward, hands outstretched as if to strangle his father. With a yelp, the old man dodged backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack before spinning out from under the boy and resuming their earlier run. Instead of crashing through the brush, Genma managed to avoid most of the objects that had previously distracted him, bouncing off branches and rocks and soaring through the air, his yowling son in hot pursuit.

Off in the distance, towards the horizon, a shaft of piercing white light stabbed down from the heavens, as though a bright beacon calling towards those in the area. Genma wasn't one to question signs from the Gods, even though he really wasn't concerned about how he had earned such a blessing. He steered towards that distant spot, each moment a narrow escape from the attacks from behind. How could the boy have gotten so fast? Through a supreme effort of will, Genma urged his body onwards, faster and faster until he was finally able to outpace the boy.

Skidding into a clearing, Genma caught sight of a group of men dressed in all black combat fatigues. He didn't recognize any of the insignia or the style of the uniforms, but that didn't mean much in the outer edges of Japan. There was any number of secret government units that operated beyond public vision. The only thing that truly mattered about those men, besides the fact that they were clearly heavily armed, was that they were directly in his path to escape from the boy.

In a flash of brilliant insight, Genma bolted towards the group, channeling some power into his legs and leapt, easily clearing the dozen or so men. If they even were men. Glancing back at the soldiers for a moment, he shook his head. There was no reason for people easily topping seven or eight feet tall to be out here. They just had to be part of some government project that would get him killed just for even knowing about it. Time to put some distance between him and them. Hopefully the soldiers or whatever they were would be able to slow the boy enough that Genma could find somewhere to hole up until he recovered and the boy settled down for a bit. Landing on the far side of the gathering, he managed to not even stumble, not even sparing a glance behind him. Once he was clear of the soldiers he ran as fast as he could. He didn't want to be around when the boy started attacking armed men. Or experiments. Or whatever.

Standing slightly apart from the armed figures was a non-descript man in plain black clothing, just shy of six feet tall, with short dark hair that was styled in a simple wave that flowed from his brow to the back of his head. Nothing else about him set him apart, save for the eyes. Darkness swirled within the gateways to the soul, with no white showing at all. It was as if his eyes had been engulfed in shadows, a twisting mire that changed from moment to moment. Those same eyes were focused on the rapidly approaching figure of Ranma. With a sharp command, he pointed towards the feral boy, the soldiers snapping to attention and training their weapons on the boy.

There was a snarl of rage from the insanity induced boy as he sensed the hostility directed towards him. Skidding to a stop a good ten meters from the assembly, Ranma crouched on all four limbs, back arched, a feral growl rumbling within his diminutive chest. For a brief moment no one moved, each waiting for the other to make some sign as to their intent, though for the little cat fist martial artist, he was already well aware of their intent. The waves of focus directed at him were nearly overwhelming, a sense of so many competitors for his area that he needed to answer, needed to head the call to attack, to drive the usurpers from his territory.

A stray breeze ghosts across the clearing, stirring the pigtail resting against the boy's nape. It was the silent herald of combat, as each party sprang towards the other. Ranma twisted his body around a blue bolt that flashed past him from the strange weapons wielded by the even stranger men. Another bolt flashed by, narrowly avoided as Ranma tucked into a roll, crashing into the side of one soldier like a whirling ballistic missile, arms and legs flying out to scratch and claw. Tears opened up in the various uniforms and metal screeched in protest at the abuse of being used to deflect blows meant to incapacitate and maim.

Grunts of effort escaped each soldier as they fought to capture the whirling boy, guns and arms reaching and searching for the wild contortionist. One soldier staggered back, a long slash opened up along the side of his face. The damage was already healing as he snapped back into position, diving towards Ranma with his arms outstretched. Ranma ducked at the last moment, kicking up with surprising force, knocking the ballistic soldier into another, sending them both to the ground for a brief moment. Neko Ranma noted the change in numbers for a moment before turning focus back to the remaining combatants who had managed to back up, surrounding the boy.

With a yowl of rage, Ranma dove towards to the nearest body, only to crash headfirst into an invisible barrier. Hanging in midair, he struggled to move, arms and legs whirling in frustration. A small clapping sound from the side caught his attention, turning to notice the approach of the one man who had stayed out of the short scuffle.

"Bravo, my boy, bravo. You have more than exceeded my expectations from when I first sensed you. Though I am enjoying the show, I can't really allow you to damage any of the soldiers or I'd have to requisition more and I do so hate paperwork."Glancing towards the two soldiers just stirring from the ground where they'd been thrown, the man shook his head in wonder. Truly remarkable control, even in the grips of insanity.

Neither soldier looked at all disturbed by the fact that a small boy had handled them so roughly. Professionals as always. But then again, they were engineered to be that way. Fighting machines in service to the military. Shrugging himself out of that quiet contemplation, the first man cocked his head to the side as he watched Ranma continue to struggle against his invisible bonds. Was anything he was saying even getting through to the boy? Shaking his head slightly, he reached out to the boy's mind, trying to make some sense of the surging emotions.

Recoiling from the slight madness, the man narrowed his eyes. There was something definitely wrong with the thoughts that raged within the tiny body. Something had lashed at him when he delved into the boy's mind, as if some force fought to protect the youngling. Reaching out again, he sent tendrils of thought around the dark presence, searching, probing. Each discovery only proved to deepen the frown upon his face. The boy had snapped, walled himself off from a frightening reality, lashing out at all around him. Without harming the boy there was no way to learn what had caused him to become this way, but perhaps.

Stretching out a hand towards the still struggling boy, the dark eyed man rested a warm hand upon the boy's head, interweaving his fingers into the boy's wild hair. "This is going to hurt. A lot. But I fear it is the only way that we can talk." With that said, he sent forth a wave of chaotic energy that crashed through Ranma, stimulating every nerve and sense. A howl of rage and pain rose towards the heavens as the young Saotome fought against the agony, though it was only for a moment. His head slumped forward, body suspended by the invisible force. Only the sound of his breathing gave any sign to the otherwise listless body.

As if a darkness had been pulled away from him, Ranma found the world he had known returned to him, the haze of fear dissolving before his eyes. No recognition entered those sapphire spheres as he turned his gaze towards the man that had forced him away from the madness and back into reality. "Who are you?" His voice was weak, barely croaking out the question, throat raw from his cry of anguish. His entire body ached. What had happened to him? How did he get here? Why did he feel so weak? Where was his father? So many questions flashed through his mind. Young Ranma was at a loss even where to begin.

Regarding the newly awakened boy calmly, the man apart considered his next words carefully. While the madness was gone from the boy, there was still something protecting the boy's thoughts. Though he could force himself past those barriers, he didn't want their relationship to start off in that manner. "My name is Jonathan Avery. I come from a world not unlike your own and I came here looking for you." There you go. The truth is usually the best way to go with someone like Ranma.

Ranma cocked his head to the side, the only thing he really had the energy to do, though he continued to test the field holding him in the air. "Why me?" The answer was barely whispered, like his earlier question. Ranma didn't think it was very impressive the way he was speaking right now but it was hard to force anything else out. Frustrated at the way he was feeling, he drew in the energy around him like his father had taught him, trying to accelerate his healing. Suddenly the field holding him in the air winked out and he feel to the ground with a startled yelp.

Jonathan could only grin in surprise. My but this boy certainly is talented. Absorbing chaos energy by instinct and control. This is even better than I had hoped. "Well my boy, I'm here to continue your training. I had to wait until your father completed his little task before you would be ready but after the Cat Fist training, you're finally ready to come with us." Left unsaid was that he'd rather have taken the boy before the Cat Fist but his true potential would have remained locked forever without it. Still there were many things unanticipated in the way the boy had developed. Genma had no idea just how special his son really was.

Ranma tried to understand what the man had said. Was this like the times pops had left him at other dojos to learn? "So you'll be training me? Do you have a lot of techniques to teach?" Ah the innocence of youth, so trusting in what they don't understand.

"Trust me Ranma. You'll be learning worlds of techniques, more than you could ever imagine."

Ranma's eyes widened at the thought of more techniques than he could ever imagine. For a moment he tried to imagine how many techniques that might be but after he got past ten he had to stop counting. They would teach him though and he would be the world's best martial artist. Smiling, he stood up straight as his little body would make him, beaming at Avery. "Okay. Do I need to tell pops you're here or does he know?"

Jonathan smiled in response. "Don't worry. He knows what's going on and he will have no regrets about this. You'll surpass his dreams, Ranma. Now come, we have a long ways to travel and I'm sure you're tired." Reaching one hand towards the heavens, he closed his eyes and a shaft of light pierced down from the heavens. When the light finally faded away, no trace was left of Ranma, Jonathan or the group of soldiers except for the marks of combat.

* * *

Eighteen Years Later, Relative Time, Earth Parallel Timeline

Earth Prime, Eleven years later relative Time

Ranma sighed as he awoke to the sensation of flying, feeling the cool air flowing through his tank top. Flipping in midflight to reorient himself. Alighting lightly on the rocks on the edge of the koi pond, he shot a glare back the direction he'd flown, frowning at the large man standing in the window, arms still outstretched from the throw.

Standing roughly five and a half feet tall, Ranma was lean and lithe, the plain white tank top and boxers doing little to hide the fighter's physique beneath. Muscles corded and flexed as the raven haired pigtailed boy stood waiting. After living in the Tendo Dojo for over a year, he had become used to the way his father chose to wake him up in the morning, even if he didn't agree with the methods. Not that their morning spars had been anything more than a round of beat the panda. Not since Herb. Not since Saffron.

The boy sighed as he father darted through the window into a predictable pattern of attack, the same way he'd done so every morning for the last six months. Didn't he have anything new?

Genma growled in frustration as he tried to teach his boy a lesson in respect. Easily topping his boy by a head, Genma had all the bulk of a bear, layers of hard fat over layers of even harder muscle. He had earned his prowess as a martial artist and while he hadn't been on a training trip in a long while ( other than the ones he was forced on by the Master ) his constant sparring with Ranma kept him moderate shape. A large bandana covered his head, hiding the baldness beneath. Glasses adorned his nose, glinting in the early morning twilight.

Falling into the same attack pattern he'd been alternating with over the past month or so, Genma pushed himself even faster. He'd known for some time that his son had finally passed him in terms of ability and power, but that didn't mean he didn't have a few things still in store for the disrespectful boy. In the middle of an attack, just as Ranma was blocking with the same defense he'd been using the entire fight, Genma suddenly whirled in, spinning to slammed a hard elbow into Ranma's side.

Staggering slightly, Ranma allowed himself the first smile of the day. So his pops did still have something in hiding? Setting me up to a conditioned defense? Alright then. Let's see how you like it when I take things up a notch. Pouring his ki into his limbs, he darted towards his father, moving even faster than before, nearly blurring with speed.

Genma staggered back under the blinding assault, barely able to block any of the attacks, weathering the ones that got through. Hundreds of punches rained down on him, thudding against his padded hide, earning grunts from the man. A gleam lit his glasses for a moment as he managed to snag Ranma's arm in a classic judo toss, hurling the boy towards the koi pond in surprise. The mighty splash that followed a moment later was music to his ears. It meant he'd won, a precious victory for its rarity. "Oh what a weak little girl I have for a son! Oh why have the god's cursed me with such a disrespectful weakling."

Ranma emerged from the pond, sputtered in indignation. Where one moment there had been the healthy raven haired boy, there was now a healthy red haired girl, shorter even than the boy, though she made up for her lack in height with her abundance of talent. Poor Ranma was afflicted with a curse, one that changed him from boy to girl with the application of cold water, though fortunately hot water changed him back to his birth form.

The boy turned girl nearly hissed as her father. "Whatcha do that for pops? This girl is anything but weak though if I'm weak and I still can beat you, what does that make you?" Moving to the edge of the pond and hauling herself out of the water, she took off her tank top, wringing the water from the soaked white cotton, leaving her assets hanging for all to see. Fortunately the property wall was fairly high, preventing the untimely peeping of the neighbors.

Just as Ranma was putting back on her shirt, a bolt of white light lanced down from the heavens, connecting the earth and sky for one intense moment. Ranma shied away from the light, covering her eyes even as she tried to look away. When she could finally see again she had to blink her eyes in surprise. There in the middle of the yard was him. Sorta.

An older Ranma was standing there, easily six feet tall, his long raven hair bound by silver strands into a long ponytail that flowed down his back, resting between his shoulder blades. A black uniform hugged his large form, broad shoulders filling the clothes with a quiet confidence. Some form of sidearm rested upon his hip, completing the whole military look.

The younger Ranma looked at the older incarnation of herself with awe. The aura radiating around the man was more than she'd ever felt before. More than Herb or Saffron. Just who was he and what further complications in his life was this going to cause? Sighing to herself, the currently female Ranma settled into a relaxed stance, taking nothing for granted. Every other person who had looked like her had tried to kill her, whether evil clone or shape changing martial artist.

Genma nearly tripped over his tongue in shock at the sight before him. The aura was so alike yet so different from what the boy's should be like. His gaze trailed from one Ranma to the next, mind awhirl with the possibilities. Sure the younger Ranma was attractive to the people willing to deal with Genma and engage their daughters in exchange for whatever it is he was after, but this new Ranma opened a world of possibilities.

Strangely enough, the older Ranma seemed to ignore the people around him, instead pulling out a small metal object from somewhere. It was about the size of a book, opening in the same manner and he set about reading the display, pursing his lips in thought. Sharp sapphire eyes quickly scanned the text darting over the display before he looked up, finally acknowledging the other two people in the backyard. "So that is what he meant."

What a cryptic phrase. Younger Ranma shook her head in confusion, not relaxing from her defensive stance. A high soprano carried her voice across the short distance. "Who are you and what are you doing here? If you're here for a challenge you'll need to put it in writing like everyone else. If you're here to kidnap Akane, you'll have to go through me."

A chuckle was not what Ranma was expecting. The older one just grinned. "Are you really what I would have turned out like if I'd stayed with Genma all those years ago? Interesting. Cocky attitude, brash mouth, yet willing to defend those he cares about. The heart of a true warrior. Good to see." He went back to ignoring both men, reading through the information scanning before his eyes, the text glinting off the bright blue orbs that seemed to absorb information.

A soft 'oh my' from the house caught the elder Ranma's attention and he turned to see three ladies standing in the doorway. One was tall with long dark brown hair the flowed down her back before being bound loosely together in a broad ponytail. She had one hand to her lips, barely covering the look of surprise on her face. Ranma glanced at the display. That must be Kasumi.

Next to her was a slightly shorter girl with her hair in a page boy's cut, the short strands framing her face just right to draw out her natural good looks. Though it also seemed to heighten the gleam in her eyes as she trailed her gaze over the elder Ranma. Smiling inwardly to himself, Ranma allowed himself to be examined, twisting and turning subtly to further display the way his uniform fit so snuggly over his hard earned muscles. Now that would be Nabiki.

The final gem was a shorter girl with hair a subtle shade of blue among the raven locks. The glare directed his way was clear evidence of her anger, even without being able to feel her aura. He failed to suppress the chuckle though at the level of embarrassment that seemed to streak through the red haze of anger. Seemed the girl wasn't quite used to his wanton display of flirting, even from across a yard. That would label her Akane.

Looks like leave this year would be interesting after all.


	2. Chapter 2

A quick note for my readers:

This is a completely different Ranma than the one found in Chaos Soldier Ranma, though it is roughly based on that character. There is no connection between the two stories, except that Ranma was recruited by the Chaos Empire after the Neko-ken training. You'll see the differences over time. Let me know what you think or how much background you're wanting to see. With that said, back to the story. Time to meet the Tendos!

* * *

Kasumi stood in the doorway looking out at the backyard, her eyes tracing the contours of their latest visitor. While she'd been willing to admit, if only to herself, that the younger Ranma was an attractive young man, she had never felt any type of desire towards the boy. Instead, she found him to be the younger protective brother she'd never had. A constant amidst that chaos that had come to surround the lives of her family. What she saw before her was definitely not a brotherly figure.

A small blush stained her cheek as she watched the man preen. That was the only way to describe the way he was standing, posturing with every subtle shift of his body. The way that the black fabric seemed to cling to his body left very little to the imagination, tracing the hard lines of his pectorals, hugging those broad shoulders. When he directed his smile her way it was all she could do to control her breathing. Shaking her head slightly, she tried to banish the images that suddenly blossomed within her mind. They certainly weren't lady like.

Nabiki struggled to understand what was standing before her. This early in the morning she still wasn't fully functioning. She'd never liked mornings and until she'd had her second cup of coffee generally was unapproachable by the outside world. She might be forgiven for not fully processing the sights before her, but while her mind wasn't registering the prime male specimen standing in her backyard, her body certainly was taking notice.

A fierce blush stained Nabiki's cheeks and warmth flooded her body. Her eyes were clued to the way that the muscles rippled beneath the exotic cloth. She couldn't recognize it either. From this distance, awake or not, she could usually tell if something was silk, cotton, or synthetic. Whatever the stuff was, it was obviously high quality, especially with the way it molded to his body. Her thoughts trailed off from there, running away from her while she was still partially out of it.

The reaction of the youngest Tendo was nearly opposite of her older sisters. Whereas her sisters were appreciating the sight for the delicious treat that it was, Akane was letting her familiar anger guide her. Every morning she tried to wake up before the Saotomes would spar yet no matter how early she set her alarm, she never managed to wake up before they did, instead finding herself disturbed from her slumber not by the alarm, but by the sounds of combat. Each day her annoyance at the daily ritual only continued to grow until she woke up automatically angry.

That same anger coursed through her, warring with the confusing array of feelings that were brought about by the not quite-a-stranger standing in her backyard. The heat of her anger was mixed with another heat that she didn't quite understand, but she knew that it had to be Ranma's fault. After all, wasn't it always his fault any time that she felt strange. Like when she felt herself growing hot around his female form, or embarrassed when he did something nice for her. All those thoughts and more proved to only add pressure to the volatile concoction of her emotions.

The younger Ranma watched the newcomer with a mixture of awe and tired wariness. He could feel the power flowing off the new guy and that much power shouldn't reside in one person. It put to shame any of his previous opponents or rivals and seemed to be wanting to absorb his own. Unsure of why he was doing so, Ranma drew all his power into himself, an aura of blue confidence bursting into existence around him. Almost immediately it was rebounding off a sphere of white light that surrounded the stranger.

Beads of sweat suddenly glistened on Ranma's brow as he fought against the opposing aura, struggling not to be swept away in the tidal wave of power. Gritting his teeth in concentration, he reached for even more power, recalling every victory against overwhelming odds. Fighting and winning against Herb, the dragon descendant prince. Saving Akane from Saffron, the immortal phoenix godling. Facing down the old ghoul, Ku Lohn, ancient matriarch of the Chinese Amazons. Finally defeating the old letch, Happosai, Grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. In a sudden burst of power, Ranma's aura flared out, blowing away the sphere of white light until the entire backyard was swathed in the physical manifestation of his power.

Ranma blinked his eyes to clear away the sudden blindness inspired by his own technique. His labored breaths were the only sound in the backyard, for the moment. A quiet clapping drew Ranma's attention and he gaped at the sight of the stranger standing in exactly the same place, not disturbed in the least by the show of power.

Slowly stopping his applause, the elder Ranma threw a cocky grin at his younger self. That had actually been an impressive display and he doubted he could have managed the same at the apparent age of the boy turned girl. That had been many years ago and many wars ago though, more than time enough to grow and evolve.

"I have to say, Ranma, you're quite the little powerhouse aren't you? I bet you attract trouble like there's no tomorrow with an aura like that. I can feel the chaotic energy woven throughout everything you do. How many days does is it between challengers now? And each one stronger than the last, all coming to you as if pulled? Each announcing their desire to face your power?" Each word was delivered with a smile on the older Ranma's face, a sparkle in the vibrant sapphire eyes.

Ranma took a step back, confusion etched on his features. "How do you know that? Who are you?" The sometimes girl settled into a loose defensive stance, keeping his center of gravity low to the ground. It was a lot easier to do in his female form, allowing him to stay grounded better, even though he had far less mass than his male form.

Chuckling softly, the elder Ranma reached up and scratched the back of his neck, near the base of his ponytail, a move eerily familiar to the pigtailed warrior. "I'm you, in a matter of speaking. I'm what you could have become if you'd been brought up differently. My name is Captain Ranma Saotome of the Chaos Empire Marine Corp. As for how I know what you've been going through, no I haven't been spying on you, as I'm sure that is what your first thoughts were about. Instead, I have firsthand experience on what it's like having a powerful aura. On nearly every world I've been to I find myself surrounded by those who have felt that power, wanting to test themselves.

"I've learned that a true martial artist is one who embraces the art and always strives to go beyond themselves, improving, learning, growing, measuring yourself against those stronger so you can see how far you've come and how far you still have to go. I've been a warrior for the last ten years, even since I joined the marines at age fourteen, the youngest you're allowed to join."

Everyone in the household blinked in unison. He was still Ranma? Joined the marines? How was that even possible. No one was sure who asked the question out loud, but Captain Ranma seemed more than willing to provide the answers to that particular inquiry.

"On a world much similar to this one, I was found by a friend of mine. A man named Jonathan Avery. His job was to survey new worlds and see if they were worth colonizing. He arrived on my world just after I learned the Cat Fist. He took me with him back to the Chaos Empire, introducing me to others who could continue my training. For eight years I did nothing but train to be the best, learning from those with experience and pride in what they do.

"And now, after ten years in the military, I'm on leave. I asked Avery for an idea and he suggested I visit home, only I couldn't. Earth had been destroyed during a war with another race. So instead of the home I had left behind, he sent me to this one, along with some background information. That tricky bastard did always seem a little too knowledgeable. He pointed out your curse, though not where you got it or what else might be going on in your life. Just some of the major players. Speaking of which."

Captain Ranma paused in his narrative as he turned to face the unbridled wrath of the ever angry Akane. He whistled appreciatively at the strength behind the angry red aura that flared around her. Not bad for an amateur, though she was nothing compared to even this world's Ranma or his father. The Captain did take note that the sisters seemed to have backed away, as if well aware of the volatile nature of Akane's rage when she hits the boiling point. Soon she would be nothing more than a berserker, unable to distinguish friend from foe.

Relaxing into a ready stance, Captain Ranma watched his target, wondering just what type train of logic the delusional girl would ride to end up at the conclusion that he needed to be punished. He'd read up on the dossier that had been created on the girl and he hadn't been impressed. While it wasn't his practice to beat up on children, he knew he was going to enjoy this far too much to take his normal approach.

The sad fact of Akane's mind was that she only had one or two tracks on which she operated, all of which revolved around the same station, that of everything was Ranma's fault and she was the best at everything. Those two laws had evolved to completely govern her life and any deviation from such needed to be corrected. The most direct path towards correction was to ruthlessly squash any hints that something might be wrong about her perception.

Upon finding yet another Ranma in the backyard, she had at first thought it might be another person like Copy Cat Ken, who had the ability to mimic other people. The problem with that theory was that this Ranma was way different from the original. With that possibility eliminated, she moved onto the next likely suspect, an evil clone. Those tended to be slightly different that the original and always had evil perverted intentions. With the way this creature was making her feel, as if her entire body was flushed and all she wanted to do was squirm under his gaze, he had to be an evil force.

Stomping into the backyard, Akane called upon powers honed through years of beating on pigtailed martial artists. Answering the call of her anger, her ki gathering into her hands, manifesting into the shape of a large wooden mallet. With a cry of 'Ranma no baka' she swung for the hills, putting her entire strength behind the attack.

Captain Ranma just chuckled as he sidestepped, feeling the rush of wind as the instrument of doom rushed by him. "Nice speed and power on that but you need to work on your follow through." His observation was made as he simple tapped the girl on the back, sending her stumbling forward, unable to control the momentum from her swing and the added push from behind. She was however able to keep herself from falling face first into the grass.

Whirling with a growl, Akane took another swing at the taunting demon, knowing that there was no way for him to side step this time as she swung horizontally. Image her surprise as the target took a step back, slapping the back of the mallet to add more speed as she spun out of control. Trying to control herself just ended with her on her pajama covered rump, the mallet going flying from her hands in surprise. Free of her conscious control, the mallet faded away.

Ranma watched the entire exchange, trying not to wince in sympathy for the man about to be clobbered. He was about to jump in to save the poor guy, completely ignoring the fact that the man had an aura even more powerful than his own, when he found himself unable to move. It was as some inner voice held him in place, forcing him to watch as another Ranma was subject to the same treatment he had been receiving for the last two years. Only instead of a Ranma being launched into orbit, Akane was being led around like the rank amateur that she was.

Ignoring his father's protests that Ranma needed to go protect his fiancée, Ranma made his way over to the two Tendo girls still standing in the doorway, his eyes never leaving the completely one sided fight between Akane and his older incarnation. The fight was so different from his normal sparring matches. There was none of the blinding speed, the last second dodges. Each attack was instead redirected or deflected. Ranma could tell that the man was just playing with her. He had yet to use any ki in his limbs to strengthen or quicken, instead relying on pure skill and strength.

Captain Ranma was grinning at the girl, enjoying the chance to stretch his limbs. The girl had no chance of actually hurting him. From the hits he'd redirected he could feel the strength within the girl, power that could do some serious damage if one wasn't paying attention. She could probably take on more than her share of the people in the unarmed fighting tournaments back home, but she was way out of her league against the Marine Elite. The men and women in her squad would have had the girl broken and bleeding on the ground after the first minute of combat, then gone on to critic everything that she did wrong.

Finally tiring of the game, Captain Ranma reached out and caught one of Akane's punches, grunting slightly from the effort of absorbing the fist into his palm. Some serious power there. His opponent was panting in frustration, grinding her teeth loud enough for him to hear over her panting. Lips still curled into a smirk, he pulled and twisted, pulling the girl around until he had her arm pinned over her shoulder and down the middle of her back, pushing in slightly to add pressure to the arm. Ignoring the wince, he started the critic, pointing out the holes in her attack style as well as the folly of attacking someone before learning their style.

Akane's responses were to curse and fume, seeing every word as an affront to her senses. There was no way that this pervert was better than her. He had to have cheated. She tried to kick him between the legs even while forced to look away from him, except that every time she tried, he would put more pressure on her arm, lifting slightly until the pain in her shoulder forced her to try and push against the ground for leverage.

"You know what you're biggest problem is, girlie? It's not that you're angry, it's that you let your anger dictate your actions. Anger needs to be controlled, directed, channeled into the proper direction as to achieve your goals." Pushing her away at the last moment, Captain Ranma turned and drew bead on the man emerging from the house, the sidearm in his hand before anyone could even see him moving.

Soun pulled up short, his demon head attack poofing from existence in the face of some exotic gun. He could easily recognize a projectile weapon, even if he had no use for them himself.

Captain Ranma kept his gaze locked on the man, a flash of steel in his hard blue eyes. "And you must be Soun, the cowardly father. Trying to sneak up on a man when he isn't watching? Tsk tsk. And after I had been sure to be nice to your little girl. You see her over there, panting with rage? The only reason she's still conscious is because I didn't feel the need to disable her in this fight. Her skill isn't nearly good enough to get a hit in on me. You on the other hand."

Looking closer at the older gentleman, Captain Ranma grinned at the sight of the man's aura, a feral gleam in his eyes. "I can see that you can channel your anger, direct your rage. That aura you had projected was fairly substantial. If you'd taught that to your daughter, she'd have improved vastly in the martial arts. As it is, she's nothing more than a strong brute." He cut off as he sensed an attack from behind and sidestepped before slamming an elbow into the gut of his attacker.

Wind rushed out of Genma as he struggled to breath. That had been a disabling blow and only his experience with the dreaded Master had allowed him to take the blow. Backing away, he cast an eye at his friend, wondering what else he could do to keep the situation from spiraling out of control. Normally when dealing with a person holding a gun, you had to take them by surprise or things would get quickly out of control. Dodging bullets was way too hard.

Turning that same evil eye toward Genma, Captain Ranma grinned even broader. With the gun still trained on Soun, there was nothing to worry about from the long haired older gentleman. Greeting the new arrival with that same grin, he looked over Genma, noting the way the man was holding his gut but still standing in defiance of the pain.

"Glad to see that you're still standing, pops. I was hoping that I could thank you for some of the training you put me through. Does something called the Neko-ken ring a bell to you?"

Everyone in the immediate area gasped in shock. So this Ranma had been subjected to the dreaded technique as well. Genma took a step back, warring within himself on what to do. On one hand, his best friend was being held at gun point. On another, this Ranma seemed to remember the Neko-ken and that could on mean bad things for him. Eyes scrambling around the yard for any type of support, they fell on the female form of his son. Inspired by a plan, he set in motion gathering the support of the best martial artist her knew.

"Oh why have the Gods cursed me with such a useless son, to leave his poor defenseless father to the tender mercies of a gun wielding maniac." Genma struck a heroic pose, only to find a dainty foot in his face.

Ranma was not amused by the outburst. Flipping away from his father, he landed lightly on the ground, tossing his pigtail back over his shoulder from where it had fallen forward. Still in female form, he didn't have nearly the power he needed to take on this guy and he wasn't about to do it for his father's sake either. While seeing Soun held at gunpoint, he did have to admit that the man who looked like an older version of himself had a right to defend himself.

While Ranma was waging the internal debate on what to do, the elder Tendo daughters were going over their own options. One was trying to find out how to spin the information to the best profits and the other was wondering if she needed to make another place at the table, next to her own. To help him get settled in of course.

The laughter ringing through the backyard caused everyone to focus on the stranger once again. He stood there, weapon put away, clutching his sides as he laughed, a loud, boisterous sound that seemed to fill the area. Every time he glanced at the posturing elder Saotome, Captain Ranma would break into another set of laughs, unable to explain to the suddenly confused people watching.

Soun, no longer under threat of gun, rushed to his baby's side, gently running his hands over his daughter's shoulder to check for damage. Seeing his baby girl safe and sound if still a bit winded and with wounded pride, he stood and looked at his long time friend. Having trained together with the dreaded Master, the two men had grown very close, learning to communicate without having to speak. Catching Genma's eyes, Soun began to circle the laughing man. No one made fun of Akane without answering for it. Since his daughter wasn't up to continuing the fight, that left him and Soun to their own devices.

Genma slipped around the side of the laughing man, then suddenly dashed in, leading with a flying kick. Soun stomped in with a flurry of punches, all of them faster than anything Akane could unleash on a good day. Their target seemed unaware of his fate until the last moment, when the man lifted both arms, catching the attacks and slamming both men to the ground. Genma tried to clear the stars from his vision from Soun was trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him.

Akane tried to capitalize on the seeming distraction, conjuring another mallet and swinging overhead, trying to squash the pervert who was attacking her father. Just as she was about to clobber the man, he seemed to teleport away, leaving the dazed fathers in his place. Before she could pull up on her attack, her mallet smashed into both men, eliciting cries of pain and anguish.

Ranma boggled at the sight. A burst of ki had momentarily enveloped the man before he moved with a speed that rivaled Ranma's own. He barely tracked the movement to where the man was now standing next to him and the other two Tendo girls near the doorway.

Captain Ranma leaned against the house, chuckling in spite of himself. He hadn't had this much fun in months. Sure they were trying to attack him, but their efforts were so pitiful that it was almost laughable avoiding them. Turning to look at his local counterpart, he grinned. "Well, that was amusing, but I think the two men are going to be out of it for awhile and the girl isn't worth my time, though she is fun to torment. It's not every day that you meet a berserker like her. Anyway, time for me to find someplace to stay."

Flashing a smile at Kasumi and Nabiki, the elder Ranma leapt for the roof then disappeared into the horizon. Ranma watched for as long as he could before sighing. Things were definitely going to change around here.

* * *

Author's Notes:

So how did you like the fights, one sided as they were? If you think I got anything wrong, let me know. Also, what type of mayhem are you wanting Ranma to get into while on leave?


End file.
